How  farming, Hotel businesses have revived Engineer Benon Mugarura’s legacy in Masaka City

BY BRIAN MUGENYI

Mugenyijj@gmail.com.

From the heartfelt tales of Engineer Benon Mugarura’s humble beginings as a business man, there is nothing that has lifted up his legacy as juggling farming and hotel business thus far.

Very few have the courage to invest in Hotel business. Ask those that are close to you, many will certainly turn the knot and say it is a tiresome and lucrative business.

But to unravel the old man’s story Benon Mugarura, the risk-taker, take on the noose to worry less about starting off and its expansion has revived his legacy in hotel management thus far.

Hotel Zebra is situated along Baine Terrace road, Kizungu in Masaka City.

This is a few metres from the State Lodge and cleanliness, serene environment and flowers, are what meets the eye here.

Reserving the African culture is also a key here as the potrait of Zebra welcomes you at the main premises of the hotel as you gear in at the entrance premises with a room basket housing clothings such as jewelries, and bitengi as a signal of reserving African Culture.

Mr Deus Tumwine is the hotel manager smartly dressed in a black suit. 

He says in a few minutes Benon Mugarura, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Hotel Zebra will be here with us to walk the talk of how far the journey has been for erecting the facility.

Although, his parents died when he was still a juvenile youth, Mr. Mugarura holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration and Barcelors Degree holder in Civil engineering and a Diploma in Civil engineering altogether which he all attained at Makerere University is a brave man.

Too welcoming but more importantly his love and vision to amply services at Hotel Zebra is what amazes his face thus far.

As he takes off a seat during this explanatory business feature, Mr. Mugarura married to his wife Hellen Mugarura shares that for one to succeed in business; social capital, good networking, having power and influence with popularity qualifies one to a stage of successful business men and women in the society.

After studying, he started imagining a clear possibility of success in his mission to be self-employed which to-date has worked miracles for him. Conversely to business, he deals in: hotel management, road construction, and farming and bakery business.

 In general, he’s a formidable enterprising business merchant and a risk taker which gives him a true identity of an entrepreneur in Uganda. Those in hotel business, knows who Mugarura stands for as he vehemently admires to serve with perfection, Quality, and good time keeper in all the businesses altogether.

 Today, he has no reason to worry about the present or think much about the future as he succeeds well with his cattle farm in Lyantonde District.

“Like any business, having a hotel is good. When you’re self-employed, you’re a boss of yourself and it’s more profitable than being employed to be a salary earner,” he said proudly.

“If you go business, it’s much better than earning a salary.” Mugarura assuredly opens up in an exhilarated tone.

Bizarre as it sounds, the hotel started from a family house which was once a state apartment but later bought it in installments at shs.48m in 1990.

Mugarura, also a resident of Kinuka village, Lyantonde District is shy to disclose the number of children he has, but considers that he follows the Baganda’s adage; Omusajja tabala baana, loosely translated as the man doesn’t count the number of his children.

He opted to modifying his house in 2001 on an acre piece of land into a modern day Hotel Zebra.

Initially, it was a fairly built up house with only three bedrooms, a sitting room and the garage where he and the wife used live as they hustle to make ends meet.

The sitting room turned out to be a restaurant and the garage into a bar, and the bedrooms turned out as lodging rooms. Each room would be charged shs.50,000 and started out with only five workers who could help provide services: foods, and beverages.

Afterwards, they were overwhelmed by customers and in order to match up the demand he used his savings, including selling of his cows at the farm in Lyantonde, and his thought of developing it rejuvenated hotel in Masaka City materialised.

“The daily customers back then were my friends, workmates and people from Masaka,” he says.

“Masaka city, as an area today attracts a number of immigrants especially whites and these normally seek accommodation at Hotel zebra,” he adds.

Not even the rentals in the area can satisfy tourists attention and with such demand for housing them has compelled Mr. Mugarura to increase on the services offered such as conference facilities for educationalists during trainings and conferences and when he bought three more acres of land, the hotel expanded to 125 bedrooms ranging from shs: 80,000 to shs: 350,000 with a well-equipped health club and three huge conference rooms accommodating over 500 people accordingly.

On average, he receives over 50 guests each day. These utilize different services at the hotel. The local population prefers the mainly the health club, where they carry out physical exercises in gym, and sauna bath at Shs 7000 and 10000 respectively.

He states that services such as a restaurant offers both local and international delicious foods, as well as buffet every day , a fully-stocked bar with a variety of drinks, and open parking for those with cars. Others; DStv, free internet, lovely gardens for those who prefer an open-air atmosphere especially on valentine’s day and wedding ceremonies also makes the place outstanding.

The prices of food;20000 to 35,000 according to him the hotel is affordable to all the clients. Many a times, people spend their evenings, and other special days, at the hotel to enjoy a delicious ice cream.

“Managing the hotel is one of those jobs I relish most. Even our clients here motivate us to raise standards and provide them with what they want,”

“Hotel business needs commitment and first-class customer care. We receive a number of people here, but if we had no decent care, customers would have shunned the place. So, we aim to serve everyone like a king,” she added.

Although the level of investment can take him over 100 years, to recover the money because the profit is very marginal yet he is skeptical to give us details, according to him, Mugarura spends shs.10m per month on electricity and water bills plus other incurring taxes to the local government.

This hotel has 60 suppliers earns shs30m per month. Others offering services indirectly are estimated to be over 100 people and they supply; Matooke, chicken, eggs, vegetable, fruits, fire woods and others.

“My passion is to create as many jobs as I can here, and promoting tourism from within and outside,” he emphasized.

It’s during peak seasons; especially in February and December (Christmas festival) where the hotel receives a number of clients, especially from Europian countries and it operates slightly on about 50% every day.

Away from that, the hotel has offered offer free seasonal trainings to scholars and over 1000 students majoring catering have attained hands-on training.

Currently, they have been helping students in institutions such as; Makerere University Business School, Mutesa1 Royal University and other surrounding institutes.

One of the long-time Hotel Zebra client Marianna Jensen, 91-years-old, an environmentalist and also a foreigner from Copenhagen-Denmak and usually accommodated at the hotel in January bookings recounted that for the last five years, the hotel charges have been reasonably priced and the services delivered are also of a first-class as it is in international hotels.

“I usually spend a good time with the children I take care of and my friend Lone Wolf. The hotel is ever clean, with ample space where we enjoy the sunshine, and they offer delicious foods,” Marianna, revealed to this reporter via email from Denmark.

However, Mugarura, also the Chairman China-Africa Friendship Association Uganda (CAFAU) founded in 2012 to promote business and trade between Africans in business managment and Chinese counterparts, says, he is also mandated to ensure that there’s an increase in balance of trade between China and Uganda as well as technological and scientific transfer from China to Uganda and cultural exchanges to contribute to Uganda’s development and lately last year Mr. Benon Mugarura was credited by the Chinese President His Excellency XI Jinping for serving beyond self during his leadership obligations in CAFAU and bringing together business men and women from Africa to work in unison with Chinese in different businesses.